Selflessness
by OveliaGirlHaditRight
Summary: Sora and Kairi meet up in the Final World. Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind spoilers.


The first thing Sora did—when Kairi finally found him in the Final World—was frown at her, which she hadn't expected at all. And it made Kairi's heart break, thinking that maybe this was just a dream after all… or a nightmare, rather. Because surely her Sora would have been happy to see her?

But the princess tried to ignore this feeling in the pit of her stomach—knowing what her heart knew—and ran towards Sora, screaming his name, as tears slid down her eyes.

And Sora's arms opened for her as if they were always meant to, but when they should've touched they went right through each other… and Kairi had to work to keep herself from falling—as Sora watched her with a sympathetic look on his face, whilst he was unable to help her himself.

But even though they were incorporeal to each other, Sora still tried to rest a hand on Kairi's cheek—that she leaned into, despite herself—as he teared up. "Kairi, what are you doing here? Please tell me you haven't died again… And if you just came here through dreams like I once did, please go back. I didn't want this for you."

Around them, the Final World flashed an almost ocean blue—that said to Kairi that maybe this wasn't hopeless, and soon they'd be dropping into the sea at home like Sora and Riku once had—so Kairi wanted to be moved by everything happening around her… and to be moved that Sora wouldn't want her to waste a year sleeping, just for him.

Kairi also meant to finally thank Sora for what he'd done for her—and to tell him she loved him, like he had her before disappearing. But instead? All of the negative emotions she'd been feeling about the situation for a while now, came pouring out… as another Chirithy seemed to appear on the scene? "And what about what I want Sora? Did you even think of that?"

Sora's eyes were absolutely tragic, the moment her words reached his ears. And Kairi recalled how—when they were kids—Sora had promised to never make her sad or cry, but had rather wanted her to smile… So, hurting him like this now was almost enough for her to take it all back: what she'd just told him from her heart… but not quite. Kairi wasn't the kind who waited on her dreams anymore.

"Tell me you wouldn't have done the same if you were in my shoes," Sora argued Kairi's point, as he stepped away from her as if she'd struck him.

And at that, Kairi could only shrug and let go of some of her fire. Sora was right, after all. Wasn't that exactly why she was asleep right now, letting Ansem, Ienzo, and Even check her heart for a link to him?

"Okay… you win," Kairi relented, as she tried to hold onto Sora's hand now—trying to fall back into how they usually were. "But to be fair, I didn't think Ansem's examination of my heart would take this long… So, I'm just here until they wake me up now. You're the one who knowingly took yourselves out of our lives in a more permanent way."

If Kairi could have smacked herself here, she would have. Ugh. What had just said?! And here when she'd been trying to turn this conversation around, and show Sora that she understood… and yet she'd transformed back into the Kairi from nearly two years ago, who would have called Sora a lazy bum and slapped him upside the head.

But somehow, someway, that had ended up being the right thing to say—as Kairi thought she could almost feel Sora's hand in her own, and his heart beat as hers did—and it led to Sora confessing something to her: "I actually don't know how permanent this is, Kairi. I think I'm… alive because some Yozora guy froze me, or something, and you have to be alive to die twice, right? Haha… Don't give me that face. I'm kidding. I'm kidding! …Partly.

"In reality, I think- I think Yozora helped me. Helped us. But that means I can't stay in the Final World forever. Even now, I'm starting to fade away from it…"

"And so you are," Kairi choked out, as she lost the feeling of Sora's hand in her own—again—and began seeing gold sky right through him… gold, not blue.

There was a selfish part of Kairi that wanted to ask Sora to stay with her a while longer… but she wouldn't do that. She wasn't the Kairi anymore, who only wanted to fight so she could stay beside Sora and Riku… but rather the one who wanted to aid the whole world.

And so Kairi decided to be selfless like Sora usually was—and to take a page out of his book, as she leaned into the dissipating boy and perhaps felt lips against hers for the first time.

"I'll come back for you, Sora. I promise."

"I know you will."


End file.
